You may never soar under the clouds or over the organic sands of Saturn’s moon Titan, but your name can. NASA is inviting the public to send their names aboard the agency’s Dragonfly rotorcraft and be part of the first science mission to fly and explore the surface of another world.
To have your name included on a microchip aboard Dragonfly and receive a personalized digital boarding pass commemorating your place on this historic mission, visit:
https://go.nasa.gov/dragonfly-names
“NASA’s Dragonfly mission will simply blow your mind,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By flying the first-ever rotorcraft science mission, NASA will explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, as we search for signs of habitability on a distant world that is most similar to our own. We are excited to bring humanity along for the journey of a lifetime, and we invite everyone to send their names on this small, but mighty rotorcraft that will unlock the secrets of the universe in what is widely considered one of the most exciting space missions of our lifetime.”
The public can secure a place on Dragonfly’s passenger list until 11:59 p.m. EST Jan. 15, 2027.
The Dragonfly rotorcraft is currently being assembled at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. Scheduled to launch in 2028, the rotorcraft will travel to Titan, a remarkable world with a thick atmosphere, rivers and lakes of liquid methane, sweeping dunes, and a landscape rich in organic material. After arriving in 2034, Dragonfly will fly to different locations on the moon, exploring Titan’s diverse environments and searching for clues about prebiotic chemistry — the chemistry that came before biology — to help scientists better understand the ingredients and conditions for life.
Dragonfly is being designed and built under the direction of APL, which leads the mission for NASA. Elizabeth Turtle of APL is the principal investigator. Dragonfly is the fourth mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate.
For more information on NASA’s Dragonfly mission, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/dragonfly/
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Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
Headquarters, Washington
240-285-5155 / 240-419-1732
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
Mike Buckley
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
443-567-3145
michael.buckley@jhuapl.edu
Source: NASA